Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 213 Defeated Again
Guangling.

"What did you say? Xie Yan died in battle, and Kuaiji fell into the hands of the demonic bandits?"

Liu Daogui had expected Xie Yan to lose, but he didn't expect him to lose so badly. He was just like Wang Ningzhi.

Wang Ningzhi was a scholar with no physical strength and had never been in charge of military affairs. It was understandable that he was no match for Sun En. But who was Xie Yan?
He was a high-ranking general from a prominent family, whom the imperial court had been supporting with great enthusiasm and high hopes were placed upon him.

Moreover, Xie Yan had distinguished himself in the Battle of Fei River, commanding 8,000 Northern Army soldiers and holding the fortified city of Shanyin. Yet, he crumbled at the first encounter with Sun En, losing not only his own life but also that of his two sons...

If Yuan He hadn't said it himself, Liu Daogui would have found it hard to believe.

Sun En made a comeback and killed Xie Yan in less than half a month, regaining control of Kuaiji Commandery.

"How is Gao Xun? Is there any news about him?"

Liu Daogui tensed up. When he first joined the Zheng Lu Army, he was all alone and had no one to rely on. Without Gao Xun's assistance, he would have been played to death by Xun Xinzhi and Huan Hong long ago.

Under Xie Yan's command, Gao Xun suffered a near-total annihilation of his 8,000 Northern Army soldiers in the Battle of Qianqiu Pavilion.

"We have only just learned that General Wei has died in battle; we know nothing else."

Yuan He spoke the truth.

Liu Daogui was anxious, but Guangling was four or five hundred li away from Kuaiji, and his reach was too far. Even if he sent someone there now, it would be too late. He could only blame Xie Yan for being so easily defeated.

With a fortified city in his hands, and well-trained and well-supplied troops, Sun En could hold out for a few more days until other reinforcements from the Three Wu regions arrived, forcing him to retreat back to the sea once more.

The impact of this battle was enormous.

The Northern Army had only been defeated by Murong Chui before, but Murong Chui had the advantage of favorable timing and location, leaving them helpless.

But now they have been defeated in the heart of Jiangdong, suffering heavy casualties...

Yuan He sighed, "General Wei... wanted to emulate the victory at Fei River and took the initiative to go out of the city for a decisive battle, but he fell into the ambush of the demon bandits."

"It's already difficult to win a battle like the one at Fei River. If you're always thinking about winning with fewer troops, how can you not be defeated? Sun En has a good understanding of General Wei's temperament and is using the right approach. He feigned defeat at the hands of Liu Xuanzhi, deliberately showing weakness to lure General Wei out of the city for a decisive battle! This shows that Sun En has an extremely capable strategist by his side!"

Liu Daogui silently recounted the entire process of this battle.

The demon bandits excel in strategy, like cunning hunters. Xie Yan's fighting style might have a chance against the northern barbarians, but against the demon bandits, he is helpless.

Of course, these are just hindsight opinions.

The outcome of a war depends on many internal and external factors.

Yuan He said, "It's too late to say anything now. With General Wei dead, the last pillar of the court has been broken. From now on, we can only rely more on Governor Liu."

Relying on Liu Laozhi means relying on the Liu family of Pengcheng.

At present, only Liu Laozhi can quell the chaos caused by the demons and bandits.

An opportunity presented itself to him once again. Liu Daogui felt as if God was feeding him, repeatedly offering him a chance.

Liu Huaizhen said, "I don't think so. The court has always been wary of Governor Liu, and what about the Gao family?"

“Gao Yazhi isn’t cut out for that,” Liu Daogui asserted directly.

After several interactions, I roughly figured out Gao Yazhi's personality; he was just a spoiled brat, incapable of shouldering such a heavy responsibility.

The Battle of Feishui was fought by Gao Heng. Gao Yazhi inherited the legacy of his father and grandfather, and with the support of Sima Yuanxian, the Gao family enjoyed a smooth life without experiencing any major upheavals.

In contrast, Sun En and Lu Xun were full of experience, stirring up trouble everywhere and scheming.

When he encountered Liu Laozhi, he abandoned the easy prey he had in his grasp, withdrew from Shanyin, and retreated to the sea. When he met Xie Yan, he used his cunning and scheming to lure him step by step into a trap, where he was killed in one fell swoop.

"Gao Yazhi isn't cut out for it, but Gao Heng and Gao Su are still around. This kind of opportunity is rare for others."

Yuan He's words implied that he didn't take the Celestial Masters Sect too seriously.

After the Yongjia Rebellion, there were no fewer than a hundred uprisings by rebels, occurring in all directions. But without exception, they were all suppressed.

It's understandable that Yuan He looks down on them.

With Xie Yan killed in battle, the court finally became anxious and acted decisively, unlike in the past.

However, Liu Laozhi was not chosen. Instead, General Sun Wuzhong was appointed to oversee the affairs of the five counties of Jiangdong, Gao Yazhi was appointed General Ning Shuo, and Huan Bucai was appointed General Fu Guo, leading 20,000 Beifu troops southward.

Although Gao Yazhi was a playboy, Sun Wuzhong was a seasoned general. Sima Yuanxian had finally chosen the right person.

However, Sun En had already established a foothold in Kuaiji, divided his troops to defend the city, and sent his navy into the Qiantang River, leaving the Northern Army helpless for the time being.

They could only defend the three counties of Wuxing, Wu, and Yixing in the north.

The war has reached a stalemate.

Jiangdong was barely saved.

Liu Daogui inquired everywhere about Gao Xun and finally received a reply: Gao Xun had joined Gao Ya's ranks.

Chaos broke out in the south, and a major battle was raging in the north.

Since February of this year, Murong Chui has mobilized troops from the four prefectures of Si, Ji, Qing, and Yan to launch a three-pronged attack, while he himself led a large army out of Shating to meet Murong Yong.

Murong Yong raised 50,000 infantry and cavalry to resist the Later Yan army, and gathered provisions at the platform.

After a two-month standoff, Murong Chui's army remained stationed southwest of Ye for more than a month without taking any action, leading Murong Chui to suspect that the Later Yan army intended to attack Shangdang from the south of Taihang.

He then summoned troops from all directions to garrison Zhiguan, personally guarding the Taihang Pass, leaving only one army at Taibi.

Taibi, the Western Yan army, was isolated. Murong Chui suddenly led a large army out of Fukou, into Tianjing Pass, and launched a surprise attack on the sparsely defended Taibi. He defeated the Western Yan army in succession, killed the Right General Le Maju, captured the General of the East Wang Ciduo, and surrounded Taibi.

Murong Yong panicked at this moment and hurriedly led 50,000 infantry and cavalry to reinforce Taibi. The two armies faced each other. Murong Chui used the same trick again, ordering Murong Guo to ambush more than a thousand elite cavalry. On the main battlefield, they pretended to be defeated and retreated more than ten miles.

Murong Yong pursued them for several miles, but Murong cavalry launched a surprise attack. Murong Chui turned back and fought fiercely, defeating 50,000 reinforcements from Western Yan and beheading more than 8,000.

The Battle of Taibi essentially secured Murong Chui's victory.

Although Murong Yong escaped back to Changzi City, his days were numbered.

Following Shi Le, Shi Hu, Murong Jun, and Fu Jian, a new hegemon emerged in the north.

Just when Liu Daogui thought the situation would remain deadlocked, Yuan He delivered the latest battle report: "Daoze, on the south side... the Northern Army suffered a crushing defeat!"

"What?" Liu Daogui asked incredulously.

Yuan He was referring to a crushing defeat, not a complete loss of battle...

Xie Yan's crushing defeat was his own fault, but this time the southern expeditionary army included the veteran general Sun Wuzhong, as well as Huan Bucai, who was also a seasoned general and had followed Zhu Xu to defeat Murong Yong and Zhai Liao.

"This is the official gazette that just arrived." Yuan He handed over a document.

After reading it, Liu Daogui couldn't help but sigh. Sun Wuzhong's defeat was not unjust.

The Celestial Masters' strategy was somewhat similar to that of Murong Chui: deliberately feigning weakness to lure the Northern Army south across the Qiantang River into Yuyao, the heart of Kuaiji. Then, they used their navy to cut off the Qiantang River and the Northern Army's supplies, before gathering 70,000 to 80,000 troops to besiege them from all sides.

The 20,000-strong Northern Army failed to replicate the miracle of the Battle of Fei River and was almost completely wiped out.

Sun Wuzhong and Huan Bucai fought valiantly, leading their remaining troops out of the encirclement and escaping into Dongyang County in the southwest...

This crushing defeat had an even greater impact than Xie Yan's death in battle. Sun Wuzhong was a champion general and the second most powerful general in the Northern Army. Even he was defeated, which dealt a huge blow to the morale of the Northern Army.

At this point, the imperial court had no choice but to appoint Liu Laozhi.

“These thieves are no rabble!” Liu Daogui said in a deep voice.

(End of this chapter)